Poker pros dominating 2011 WSOP Main Event

The 2011 World Series of Poker will most likely be remembered for Phil Hellmuth’s three runner-up finishes, the emergence of Ben Lamb, and of course the last time we will witness controversy in the Ladies Championship. But perhaps the most interesting story-line at the 2011 WSOP has been the slew of unsung poker pros that have won bracelets or made extremely deep runs in events.

This group of poker talent is joined by a handful of the more recognizable names in poker as well, including Erick Lindgren, Allen Cunningham, Eli Elezra, and rising stars Ben Lamb, JP Kelly, Sorel Mizzi, and Joseph Cheong.

Not only are there a number of pros remaining in the tournament, but they are also making their presence felt on the leader-board, with six of the Top 10 chip counts belonging to players from the above lists:

1. David Bach – 4,706,000

2. Pius Heinz – 4,699,000

3. Kyle Johnson – 4,654,000

4. Phil Collins – 4,109,000

5. Ben Lamb – 4,032,000

6. Aleksandr Mozhnyakov – 3,462,000

7. Sebastian Ruthenberg – 3,354,000

8. Lars Bonding – 3,352,000

9. Bryan Devonshire – 3,292,000

10. Thomas Grey – 3,262,000

One of the early story-lines to keep an eye on during Day 6 is Ben Lamb. Lamb needs to finish in 138th or better place to overtake Phil Hellmuth for the 2011 World Series of Poker Player of the Year award, but unless Lamb has a top 5 finish, the two will likely have to settle the fight at the World Series of Poker Europe in France, which will see its events counted towards the POY race for the first time.

Another story-line to keep an eye on will be the performance of the three remaining women in the field, Amanda Musemeci, Erika Moutinho, and Claudia Crawford. Musemeci is a sponsored player of Bodog, Crawford has the biggest stack of the three with 1.8 million, and Moutinho whose boyfriend David “Doc” Sands is also still alive in the Main Event!

This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 17th, 2011 at 9:37 am and is filed under WSOP News.
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